I had a couple of days booked off work either side of this weekend, and having decided not to risk storms and flooding on our planned camping trip was at a bit of a loose end for something unconstructive to do. Nosing around various “what’s on” type sites, we stumbled across Paddle Round The Pier, a kayak/general paddling event around Brighton’s West pier - which we just had to go along to.
After some discussion (and a bit of sulking on my part) we decided not to take the kayaks with us. The forecast wasn’t great, we didn’t have wetsuits and I could hardly move lift my arms due to overdoing the hedgetrimming on saturday - so it all added up to us just being spectators for the day. In retrospect, this was probably a smart move, as due to the combination of crap traffic and poor planning we didn’t arrive until everyone was in the water anyway.
What a great event. Next year I plan to join them for sure. All sorts of vessels took to the water, from kayaks and surfboards to home-made rafts and even an inflatable castle. Quite a spectacle.
I was really impressed by the whole event. It probably needed a few more people on the actual paddle (including me!), but there was a lot more going on all weekend than just that. The bikini babes contest and the far more amusing “hunks in trunks” that followed was particularly memorable.
Anyway, great event. Hope to take part next year.
